Winter Schnee's Backstory
by charmeleon123
Summary: "Beacon. It's been a long time. The air feels...different." Learn about the adventures of Team SNOW, how Winter came to obtain her summons, her relationship with Team STRQ, and how she ended up in Special Ops. A story of friendship, heartache, and character development. I attempted to be as true to the RWBY universe as possible.
1. Chapter 1

_She need not know. She must not ever know. _

Winter was officially joining the Atlas Special Operatives. As her younger sister Weiss bade her goodbye with one last hug and a rare tear in her eye that she quickly brushed away, Winter couldn't help but smile a little inside. _So innocent, like a child, and yet so grown up too._

Winter was content to let Weiss believe she was joining the military because she loved it. It wasn't a wrong assumption anyway. She had enjoyed the stability and order the military had provided. And it would be an honor to work under the General himself. Still, that was all Weiss needed to know. She didn't need to know how many times Jacques had slapped Winter in the face for defending Weiss. She didn't need to know that Winter was no longer the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. And she especially didn't need to know that the Special Ops was her only option after what had happened in the last Vytal Festival.

Was it really only two years ago that she had failed so miserably? They had been doing so well too. If only Team STRQ hadn't gotten in the way. One member in particular.


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh my goodness, it's sooo warm!" Neva spread her arms out and spun around in a circle. "I LOVE it!"

For once, Winter couldn't be annoyed at Neva's reaction. Vale _was_ beautiful, and she didn't think she had ever seen so much green in her life. They had touched down in Beacon a couple hours ago, unloaded their belongings into their temporary abode, and were now outside enjoying the fresh air, a prospect foreign to the team amidst the frigid Atlesian climate.

"Who knows, Storm, you might actually tan."

"Oh shut up, Olwen." Storm crossed her arms, casually leaning back against a tree. Though her expression appeared annoyed outwardly, Storm's eyes glimmered with laughter.

"See, even Winter is smiling." Olwen regarded the ice queen with a curious look from where he was laying in the grass. "Are you okay, Winter? I haven't seen you smile in like, ever."

"I…I'm fine." Winter, in spite of herself, found her mouth spread in a little smile. Not like the huge grin Neva had on her face, or the smirk on Storm's. But it was definitely an improvement from the tight-lipped expression she constantly wore.

"Don't be ridiculous. Winter has a heart too."

"Oh she does?"

At that, Winter scowled and Olwen burst out laughing. Storm chuckled a little and gave Winter a meaningful look. Winter knew what that meant. She and Storm had had this conversation before. It meant basically along the lines of _lighten up, it's okay to not be serious sometimes. Life is meant to be enjoyed_.

_But life has made it hard for me to enjoy it._ Neva and Olwen had never understood. They came from good families, the kind where the whole house would sit together and have a meal, and they would laugh and talk and share funny stories. Neva's closest friend other than Fluffy (her white shitzu dog) was her mom. Olwen's dad was the one who'd taught him everything he knew, from making explosives to his surprisingly exceptional skill at ice fishing. Sure, maybe they both had hit rough patches financially and had to scrape by through some hard winters. But Winter would have given the whole mansion for a family like that.

Storm was different though. Storm understood. Or at least, Winter thought she understood. Come to think of it, Storm had never talked much about her past. She had a younger brother, Winter knew that much. Her parents apparently weren't terrible parents; Storm never complained about them. But they weren't exactly there either; as Storm also never had much to say when asked about them. Which ultimately added up to the same thing.

And of course, Winter had never talked about her family either, other than mentioning Weiss on occasion. Neva, and Olwen especially, seemed to assume that life had been good to her and that she was blessed to be the heiress to the world renowned Schnee Dust Company. And in some ways it was true. It had taken some time for her to get used to the fact that most people did not have someone to prepare their food for them. Or to do their laundry. Whatever she wanted, at a ring of a bell, would be brought to her on a silver platter. Except the most important things in life, of course, which all the money and dust in the world could never buy. Still, while it wasn't exactly something she liked, she couldn't deny that comfort was nice. She'd never known otherwise, and from what it sounded like, a life without comfort did not sound pleasant.

"I do have a heart, thank you very much." Unwilling to get her white outfit dirty, Winter had opted to stand stiffly under the shade of the tree Storm was leaning on. This made her position over Olwen's form satisfyingly intimidating. But Olwen just grinned and was about to reply when

"_Attention. Would all students please assemble in the Great Hall for an important announcement_." Professor Goodwitch's voice, even in automated announcement form, carried weight and authority, evidenced in the way team SNOW dropped the grins and assumed a more serious demeanor.

"It's time. Let's go team." Storm led the way, flanked by the rest of her team. There was no doubt about it. Team SNOW was going to win this year.


	3. Chapter 3

****note, this is a flashback scene to Atlas Academy Initiation. Appreciate any feedback you have!**

It was bitterly cold. _They weren't joking when they said some people have died during initiation_. Though each initiate had been given the same clothes, including a fur-lined maneuverable jacket, Winter was still shivering. The snow was up to her knees and no amount of clothing could keep out the chilling wind. Snow swirled all around, creating a blurry veil of white that screened her vision for five yards all around. Still, Winter gritted her teeth and continued forward, knowing she needed to encounter somebody in order to rise higher in the scoring system and so that she wouldn't freeze on the spot.

_I will NOT be stuck on a team with a bunch of losers_. She held Shattered Ice firmly in her grip. She was proud of the dual-blade weapon she had forged back at home. Not only was it elegant and sharp, but she could imbue dust into its core to expand her fighting range abilities.

BANG! A bullet whizzed through the air. Winter ducked as two more bullets shot past her over her head. She used her glyph to propel herself forward in the direction the bullets had come, blocking a few more bullets with her sword.

A guy with two bladed pistols suddenly came into view. Winter made short work of him. Quickly kicking one pistol out of his grip, she parried his slice with Shattered Ice while simultaneously kicking him in the face with her other boot. Her white glyph formed under her feet in midair and she struck at her unbalanced opponent from above. A flurry of thrusts later, her opponent was on the ground, his aura depleted.

Almost immediately, she heard a whirr coming towards her from behind. _Must have heard the commotion from the fight. _She slid her head to the left, the spinning wheel narrowly missing her ear as she turned to face her next opponent. She was bombarded almost immediately with two-wheeled attacks, which she parried. The momentum of her opponent's last thrust propelled them both backward a few feet. As she slid to a stop in the snow, Winter barely registered that her opponent was female before propelling herself forward and slightly to a side with her glyph, pulling the trigger that released her second sword, Ice, in the same movement. She parried the anticipated blow with Shattered in her right hand and thrust Ice in with her left, forcing her opponent to block again. This distracted her opponent from noticing the black glyph forming underneath her. She was launched up, and Winter shot upward, dodging the two wheels her opponent shot at her, and struck her a few times midair. Landing on top of her, her boots depleting the last bit of aura in her opponent, Winter looked around for her next target.

Instead, an Atlesian knight landed next to her and motioned for her to step off the body. As she did so, another knight landed, and they silently took up each aura-drained opponent and blasted into the air, taking them to the designated recovery zone outside the arena. The fight had warmed Winter up, but now that she wasn't moving the cold wind was starting to bite again. She returned Ice back to its place inside Shattered and took another look around, eyes narrowed against the wind. _I feel like…but there's no one around. Time to keep moving then._ With a slight shake of her head, her expression hardened and, gripping Shattered Ice once more, she stalked forward in the snow.

Unbeknownst to Winter, Storm had seen the whole thing, hiding in plain view thanks to her semblance. _She's good,_ she mused._ I'll save her for later._


	4. Chapter 4

Three more defeated opponents later and Winter knew she was in a good place. _There can't be that many more people left now_.

"Well, someone's certainly done well."

Winter whipped around to find that a girl had materialized there. Her jet black hair was long and beautifully curled like she was going to a special event, only it was a natural curl that would likely be the envy of many girls in the Kingdom. This contrasted sharply with her pale complexion which was so white that if it weren't for her hard dark gray eyes, her face might have been lost in the swirling snow. She had on black gloves that went up to her elbows. _Where the heck did she come from?! There was no one there a second ago, I made sure of it! _Winter regarded the ghost girl coldly. "I don't think there's room for ghosts around here."

To Winter's surprise, the girl laughed. "Relax, Ice Queen. You'll see soon enough. Or maybe you won't see." The girl casually started walking towards her.

Winter's eyes narrowed. "I'm not sure what you're implying, but I've heard enough. And my name isn't Ice Queen."

"Oh, I know who you are, Ice Queen. Winter Schnee. The heiress." She continued to move calmly towards Winter, stopping just a few feet away. Winter shifted restlessly, eyes narrowing further. When Winter didn't reply, Storm crossed her arms and asked, "Aren't you going to ask who I am?"

"Why would I?"

"Ooo, somebody's upset." Storm rolled her eyes and grinned, showing pale white teeth. "Name's Storm. And as to why, you should know who might end up on your team. Though you _are_ a bit of a prick."

"THAT'S IT! Say that one more time, and you will regret it!"

"No." Storm uncrossed her arms. "It's _you_ who's going to regret it." She smirked. "Prick."

Winter didn't hesitate for a second. She propelled herself forward at lightning speed, expecting her sword to hit something, but all she did was strike the air. The girl was nowhere to be found. _She disappeared! The brat!_ Winter released Ice and let her aura flow, her guard up. _I know she's still here. But she really is like a ghost. She was there and then she was gone. _As much as Winter hated to admit it, she was impressed.

She heard a sound come from her right. Winter barely brought her swords up in time to deflect the tomahawk boomerang before Storm was upon her, wielding a second tomahawk like lightning. _Where the he—oh, they were braced on her gloves. _Winter parried her blows, then used a black glyph to propel herself backward to regain some space. Storm wasted no time. Calling the second tomahawk back with the gravity dust woven into her glove, she spun and slashed at Winter, throwing her off guard. _Dammit she's fast!_ thought Winter as the last blow hit her aura. Winter backflipped a few times, narrowly missing the tomahawk Storm threw at her. _If I can get her to throw both tomahawks, it'll take her some time to get them back to her. I can strike then._

Storm was in the air, both tomahawks in hand. Winter brought Shattered Ice up and blocked the attack, sending a shockwave throughout the surrounding area. Storm flipped backward and Winter used the moment to shoot forward, attacking furiously with a series of thrusts. Storm blocked the attacks with her tomahawks easily, aiming a final blow with the butt of her tomahawk that Winter blocked and dodged with her black glyph. Storm threw the first tomahawk and Winter, prepared this time, batted the tomahawk away behind her, further away from Storm. Storm threw her second tomahawk and Winter used time dilation to both deflect the second tomahawk and try to land a strike. But when she looked back to where Storm should have been, she wasn't there. _Her semblance. That must be why she can disappear like that._

"I know you're there!" Winter rushed forward attempting to strike, but it seemed like all she was hitting was air until one of her blows produced an "Ow!" and Storm's figure flickered for a second before disappearing again. Still, the one second was enough to land two more blows before Storm's returning tomahawk sliced Winter in the back. Winter fell forward in the snow and Storm aimed a tomahawk at Winter's head, but Winter rolled over in time so that the tomahawk hit snow. In the same movement she thrust Shattered up so that Storm had to jump out of the way, and Winter used the momentum to get back on her feet. They circled each other a few feet apart, each regarding the other carefully.

"Not bad, Ice Queen."

"Shut up."

"As you wish. You haven't seen anything yet." Storm threw both tomahawks and disappeared. Winter filled her sword with Ice dust and struck in a wide circle around her, knocking the tomahawks aside. Sure enough, Storm's image flickered a few feet to the left of where she had been. She aimed a firebolt where Storm's image was, but quick as lightning Storm had disappeared again and it passed through thin air until it disintegrated.

A boot connected with Winter's face as Storm came in with a flying side kick. Unable to see, Winter aimed a kick where she thought Storm was, but Storm blocked it with a tomahawk, using the second one to slash right into Winter. Winter tried to take evasive action, but no matter where she ended up Storm was right there. It was like Storm knew exactly what her next move would be and was prepared to deal with it. Before she knew it, Winter found herself on the ground, her face in the snow, unable to move a muscle. Vaguely she could hear the alarm ringing, signaling that initiation was over and all combatants were to report back to base.

"Phew! That was the best fight I've had in a long time." Storm was kneeling in the snow, breathing a little heavily but with a relaxed happy grin on her face. Winter would later learn how rare that grin ever appeared, and later often counted herself privileged to have been able to bring one to Storm's face within such a short timeframe of meeting her. But for now, all the grin did was annoy Winter further.

Winter said nothing, but the glare she gave Storm could have pierced metal, it was so sharp. Unfazed, Storm stood up and held out a hand. "A little longer and maybe you would have beaten me. Here."

"I'm fine." Winter slowly got to her feet, rejecting the hand Storm had offered. She stood up, swayed with dizziness, and would have fallen if Storm hadn't caught her.

"Whoa! Easy there. You've depleted almost all your aura. You shouldn't be on your feet on your own." Even in her annoyance, Winter had to admit that Storm's strength against her back was reassuring, though she never told anyone that.

Winter tried to push her away. "I'm…fine…"

The last thing Winter remembered was Storm's concerned look, and her mouthing "Winter!" before everything turned fuzzy and black.


	5. Chapter 5

Storm sighed, the now unconscious heiress still in her arms. _What a prick_. _Prickly everywhere._ She couldn't blame the Ice Queen though. She'd once been just as hard and prickly, and it had taken events too painful to mention to soften her. Maybe that was why Winter had intrigued her so much from the moment she'd first seen her in the initiation prep grounds. Aloof, distant, tough, and independent, Winter reminded her of her younger self. Though she'd found it so odd that it was the Schnee company heiress, the girl who allegedly had everything she could possibly want, who exhibited such cold behavior.

An Atlesian knight landed in front of her. "It's okay, I can take her. Go back to base."

"Permission not granted. Orders are for all initiates with depleted aura to be flown back to recovery by an Atlesian knight only."

"You know who I am, right?"

"Storm Chrome, daughter of Sgt. Hanis Chrome. Please step away."

_Right. I guess Dad's position in the military doesn't hold sway here. _"Very well. May I come with you? She has fought long and hard. And my aura is low. " It wasn't exactly a lie. Her aura was lower than it had been in a long time, though her scroll still read her aura level in the yellow zone.

The Atlesian knight paused, probably to transmit and receive new orders to process the request, since it had not been programmed into its database.

"Permission granted. We appreciate your cooperation." A second Atlesian knight landed next to him. Storm allowed the second knight to pick her up while the first knight took up Winter. _At least I get a free ride back and don't have to walk all the way back in the snow by myself._ _With the second round of initiation tomorrow, I'll need all my strength. Especially since this girl made me use my Semblance more than usual._


	6. Chapter 6

"Congratulations. Your efforts during the first round are to be commended. But do not let this soften you. The hardest is yet to come." Lieutenant Steel was a severe woman who lived up to her name. With sharp looking steel combat stilettos and sharper blue eyes, she was not someone to be trifled with. If the two had met, she could have given Professor Goodwitch a run for her money.

"You are tasked with retrieving a valuable artifact and bringing it back to base. The location of your artifact will be sent to your scroll."

"Sounds simple enough." Everyone turned to look at who had spoken. Olwen was leaning back, arms crossed casually, his short brown hair flawlessly swept into place.

"I'm not finished, Mr. Caulfield."

"Oh." _Idiot_, Winter thought.

"It _will_ be dangerous," Lieutenant Steel resumed. "You will be covering several kilometers of Grimm infested territory, not to mention other hazards along the way. Most casualties during initiation happen during the second round. You have been warned." The crowd of students fidgeted uncomfortably. Winter did her absolute best not to squirm along with them, but even the Schnee was daunted by the possibility of death.

"There is more. You will not be completing this task alone. Each of you will be paired up with another student based on your background check and first round, and together you will retrieve the artifact. It is imperative that you remain together, and any attempts to work on your own will automatically disqualify you and your admission to Atlas Academy will be rescinded."

Everyone started talking at once. Winter's face became paler, if that was even possible (oh wait, I guess Storm's face takes first place on that one). _WHAT?! I have to WORK with one of these dumbasses?!_

"There is also…a catch." All the students immediately hushed at her words. "Multiple pairs will be given the same artifact to reach. Thus, it is the first pair who manages to bring said artifact back who has completed the mission successfully."

All the students murmured in shock. "So…what happens to the rest of the pairs?" a girl in a white combat dress asked. "Those who don't get to the artifact first?"

Lieutenant Steel simply shrugged. "It will be accounted into your standing."

The effect of her words was palpable. What had been a relatively relaxed atmosphere immediately turned cold as students eyed each other with doubt and mistrust. Someone dared to call out, "But that's not fair!"

"Life is never fair." No one had a response to that. They knew all too well for themselves the kind of havoc the Grimm reaped on the remnant of humanity.

"And now for the pairings. Raise your hand when your name is called. Once you and your partner have identified each other, move to the other side of the hall. Is that understood?" Most of the students nodded, though Winter noticed some of them were still in shock about the catch. Winter was one of the few who wasn't (and as she took a covert glance to the side, she saw that Storm didn't appear to be surprised either). After all, life had always been about being the best. This wasn't like the other academies, where everyone was given a fair chance at a relic or whatever "happy good feelings because everyone wins" crap. As far as Winter was concerned, Atlas was the only academy who rightly understood that if you were not the best, you were food for the Grimm. It made sense to weed out the weaker ones immediately.

"Olwen Caulfield." The guy with the short brown hair raised his hand, one of the few still with an idiotic smile on his face. "Neva Leta." The girl with the white combat dress raised her hand, also smiling, but it was a very small one and there was concern in her eyes. It cheered up into a real smile though as Olwen bowed and she giggled, allowing him to escort her to the other side of the room.

Winter rolled her eyes. _Atrocious. Not even taking this seriously._ Lieutenant Steel continued to read names off her scroll, and one by one students walked off in pairs.

"Winter Schnee. Storm Chrome." Winter whipped around to face the pale ghost girl, who hadn't even bothered to raise her hand and was looking straight at her, a smug smirk on her face. Winter glared at her. With nothing more than a jerk of her head to indicate that Winter should follow, Storm started walking off. _Ugh! The brat!_ Winter stormed after her in a huff (no pun intended).

Truth be told, if they were on a real mission, Winter wouldn't have minded being paired with Storm. Her fight with the girl had shown that she was a strong warrior capable of handling herself in combat. But that was precisely the problem. Likely their performance, especially during the second round of initiation, would affect who would be chosen as team leader. Father had already made it clear what was expected of her. And Storm made meeting those expectations infinitely harder.

"Told ya. We're teammates after all."

"Hmph."

"Don't be pricky."

"WHAT?"

"I said don't be picky."

Winter narrowed her eyes. Storm's expression was almost impassive, except for a slight twitch of the corner of her mouth. Winter noticed.

"You dare to mock me, scum?" Usually people cowered away when she said things like that. She'd become a master at arrogance and disdain, thanks to her extensive "training" as the future Schnee heiress.

"I do." Storm's face remained impassive. _What the!—I'll show her—_

But before Winter could do anything, a glimmer of laughter slipped from Storm's eyes. "You need some lightening up anyway." Winter's glare turned to one of confusion. _Is…that a joke? How the hell am I supposed to know what a joke is?_ In answer to her look, Storm simply said "Come on," and slung an arm around the heiress. In the blink of an eye, Storm found herself on the ground staring at the ceiling with wide eyes. _What just…happened? My aura feels a little lower. _

Storm looked over at Winter, who had a weird look on her face. If she hadn't known better, she would have sworn it was one of embarrassment. "Did you just…flip me?!"

Winter looked to a side in a huff, her face composed back into its usual hardened expression. "It's not _my_ fault you decided to jump me!"

"I wasn't doing anything of the sort!"

"Well you certainly deserved every bit of that, Miss So-Called-Ghostly-Reflexes."

Storm opened her mouth about to argue back but stopped. _Was that…a backhanded compliment? _

"Attention." Even from the exit at the end of the hall, Lieutenant Steel's resounding voice immediately hushed the crowd. "Airship and artifact locations have been sent to your scrolls. Make your way to your designated airship pad. Your mission begins the moment your airship touches down. Good luck."

Winter immediately headed toward the exit, passing by Storm's sprawled form without a glance. "Prick," Storm muttered, shaking her head. The Schnees had always been something of an enigma, and this Schnee was no different. But instead of driving her away, Storm was only more determined to figure her out.


End file.
